Gill-box machine for preparing fibers.



no. 633,793. Pata nted Sept. 26, 1899.

T. sunnows. GILL 80X MACHINE FOR PREPARING FIBERS.

(Application filed Dec. 29, 1897.! (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

LUitnesses Inventor Midi. g c

A jwilwaw Y attorney 9.

m: "dams mus c0.. Mum-sync" wunms'rou, m c.

Patnted Sept, 26, I899.

1 T. BURBOWS. GILL-BOX MACHINE FOB PREPARHIG FIBERS.

(Application 1% Dec. 29, 199-1.) I

- 2 Sheets-Shunt 2,

(lo llodul.)

V witnesses QFAflMw 10%. WMQZQ attorneys YRS Norms Pm!!! 0a. mom-Limo,wumxurou. a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

TAYLOR BURROlVS, OF LONDON, EiNGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE FLAX COMBINGSYNDICATE, LIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

GILL-BOX MACHINE FOR PREPARING FIBERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 633,793, dated.September 26, 1899. Application filed December 29, 189?". Serial No.664,401. (No model.)

ain, residing at Staines, London, England, have invented certain new anduseful Im-. provements in or Relating to Gill-Box Ma-' chines forPreparing Fibers,- of which the fol-' lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of ma" chines known as gill-boxesforopeningand preparing fibers preparatory to combing and opened andparallelized. The gills, which is designed more especially for treatingvegetable fibers, such as flax, hemp, china-grass, or the like.

The advantages obtained by the improved preparing-machine areprincipally in the softening action of lapping the material as it isdrawn from the gills or teeth onto'an endless sheet or belt which ismade to run over and encircle one of the drawing-rollers, (a second andsimilar endless sheet or belt running over and encircling the otherdrawing-roll,) so that the flax or other fiber is between the top andbottom sheets or belts, and as it is lapped around the top sheetconsequently (by the continuous running between the drawing-rollersunder pressure) is softened and have a surface speed superior to that ofthe feed-rollers or porcupine feed, clear away the greater part of thestraw and impurities from the fiberfedon,and the straw, dtc. falls underthe machine. At the same time the fiber is opened and lashed by the pinsor teeth of the gills and so prepared for being drawn out into a sliverread y for the combing-machine, which latter will separate thelongspinable fibers from the short or noil. For clean longscutched flax,which requires only opening up and drawing into lap or sliver, one ortwo pairs of ordinary feed-rollers are good; but

where tow in its tangled forxnis to be treated a porcupine rollerworking in a dish (which may be preceded or followed by a pair offeed-rollers) is advantageous.

In order that this invention may be easily understood, I will proceedto'fully describe same with reference to the drawings hereunto annexed.

Figure 1 is an end elevation-2. e., looking I in the direction of thearrow 1, Fig. 2of a gill-box machine having the presentimprovelrnentsapplied thereto and constructed and arranged to act according to thepresent invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical'section on the line2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a local detail View showing the modifiedarrangement for feeding the fiber to the gills.

A is the frame or support.

B B are ordinary feeding-rollers which are -mechanically revolved in theusual or any suitablemanner, and E is the ordinary feedin gapron,passing around one of the rollers B.

C C are the gills, the same being ordinary screw-gills of the well-knowncharacter and arranged and acting as is well understood, and thereforeit is not necessary to further illustrate same or more fully describesame here. If desired, these screw-gills may be made to advance at anincreasing speed by means of variable screws, which impart the advancingmotion to said gills.

D is a dabbing-brush extending across the fullwidth of the gills,'saidbrush being carried on the arm D, fixed to a shaft D journaled inbearings carried on the frame A,

D? D are cranks or arms extending from the opposite ends of said shaft Dto which they are rigidly fixed, or only one arm D or D may be usedr 'EE are eccentrics or cams (slowly revolved by connection with someworking part of the machine) wherebysaid arms D D are caused tooscillate said shaft D through part of a revolution, and consequentlythe brush D is raised and lowered into the teeth idle adjustable rollerG. The roller F is' journaled in sliding blocks J,which1atter'areadapted to slide in or on the supports J and are adjustable thereon bymeans of the setscrews J while the roller G is similarly arrangedviz.,is journaled in the slide-blocks K, adapted to slide on the support Kand adjusted by means of the set-screws K -and thus the endless sheetsor belts (which may advantageously be of leather) can be respectivelystretched or adjusted as desired. Each of the supports J is pivoted on astandard J attached to the frame A, and is provided with a curvedextension J, slotted at A setscrew 3 passes through this slottedextension into the frame 11. By means of these parts the roller F andbelt II can be adjusted relatively to the belt I.

M is an idle resser-roller (carried by the arms M) resting against thebelt H as the lat ter passes around the upper drawingroller F, andthereby guiding the fibers downward in between the belts II and I.

N N are the ordinary set-screws for adj usting the pressure on thedrawing-rollers F G.

The drawing rollers F G may advantageously be fluted, and said rollers FG have a peripheral speed considerably greater than the speed of advanceof the gills O,the advance of the latter in turn being much quicker thanthe peripheral speed of the feed-rollers B B.

The operation is as follows: The fibers are drawn out and opened and(after being acted on by the gills C) are led between the endless sheetsH I and are formed into a lap around the endless sheet H, on which thefibers are continuously wound up, and as this lapped fiber passes aroundand around it is repeatedly pressed between the drawing-rollers F G, andis consequentlysoftened and very beneficially acted upon. As the firstfibers appear between the belts II and I the attendant lifts them ontothe belt 1-1. When the fiber reaches the other end of the belt H, it isguided down and again passes between the belts. After the formation ofthe lap beginsit goes on automatically. When a sufficient quantity ofthe fiber has accumulated on the bolt II, it is separated by pulling onsame by hand and removed and on another machine is drawn out into acontinuous sliver in readiness for the combing machine or may beotherwise removed or treated in any desired manner. I

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the porcupine roller X (incombination and acting in conjunction with the dish Y) is introducedbetween the feed-rollers B B and the gills C in order to first open andstraighten the fibers before they are acted on by the gills O and at thesame time to allow the longer fibers to slip unbroken through theporcupine teeth of said roller X.

Many changes in the details of the machine may be made without departingfrom the spirit of my invention, and I wish it to be expresslyunderstood that I do not limit myself to the exact details shown anddescribed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a gill box or machine for opening and drawing fibers, thecombination of feeding devices, traveling gills, drawing-rollers, looserollers, belts'passing over said drawing-rollers and said loose rollers,and a freely-swinging pressure-roller placed near the inner end of theupper belt, substantially as described.

2. In a gill box or machine for opening and drawing fibers, thecombination of feeding devices, a porcupine roller and dish, travelinggills, a brush above said gills, means for oscillating said brush,fluted drawing-rollers, loose rollers, belts passing around saiddrawing-rollers and said loose rollers, means for adjusting said looserollers to tighten or loosen said belts, means for adjusting the upperbelt toward or away from the otherbelt and a freely-swingingpressure-roller, near one end of the upper belt substantially asdescribed.

TAYLOR BURROIVS. lVitnesses:

ALFRED NUTTING, F. JAMES HOLE.

